Ketogenic Diets - Could reducing carbohydrates help your lipoedema?

A ketogenic diet (often called keto) is a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that encourages the body to use fat rather than carbohydrates as its main source of energy. Research is beginning to suggest that reducing carbohydrates may have some benefits for women living with lipoedema. A ketogenic diet encourages your body to use fat for energy rather than relying primarily on carbohydrates. Researchers are exploring whether this can help regulate insulin, influence inflammation and improve symptoms such as pain and tenderness. Some studies have shown promising results, particularly around weight management and pain reduction. However, you don't necessarily need to follow a strict ketogenic diet to support your health.

There are several possible reasons researchers are interested in ketogenic nutrition:

1. May help reduce inflammation - Lipoedema is associated with chronic inflammation in affected fatty tissue. Researchers are investigating whether ketones produced during ketosis can influence inflammatory pathways. This is one of the most interesting potential benefits, although we cannot yet say that keto reliably reduces inflammation in everyone with lipoedema.

2. Helps regulate blood sugar and insulin - Reducing carbohydrates can reduce blood glucose fluctuations and the amount of insulin the body needs to release. This may be helpful for women who also experience insulin resistance or metabolic difficulties.

3. May help with weight management - Some women find a ketogenic diet reduces hunger and cravings, making it easier to manage their overall food intake. Reducing excess body weight, where appropriate, can improve mobility and reduce additional strain on the body. It is important to remember that lipoedema fat itself can be resistant to weight loss.

4. May improve some lipoedema symptoms - Some small studies have reported improvements in pain, tenderness and body measurements following low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diets.

These findings are encouraging, but we don't yet know whether the improvements are due to ketosis itself, weight loss or other dietary changes.

My approach is to focus on nourishing my body, eating plenty of vegetables, healthy fats and quality protein whilst reducing complex carbohydrates (potatoes, bread, pasta) to a minimum.